Tennessee is on a serious recruiting roll right now, and on Thursday it landed its best prospect of the 2014 class so far when running back Jalen Hurd joined the group.

The Volunteers have five commitments for 2014, with four of them coming in the past five days. Hurd is a 6-foot-3, 210-pound back out of Beech Senior HS in Hendersonville (Tenn.). He is the third in-state 4-star-or-better prospect to pick the program, joining DBs Todd Kelly and Vic Wharton. Keeping the in-state players away from rising recruiting rival Vanderbilt and the other SEC superpowers was a problem under former coach Derek Dooley, but first-year head coach Butch Jones is making an impression on the home-state prospects.

Jalen Hurd, a 5-star running back, has committed to play for the Tennessee Volunteers. (Credit: 247Sports.com)

“I really wanted to go to UT,” Hurd told The Tennessean. “Last year, they weren’t in such a good position for me to go there, but with Coach Jones and the new staff, I think it’s the best place for me to go.”

Hurd’s prep numbers are eye popping. He set a state single-season rushing record last fall as a junior when he rushed for 3,357 yards and 43 touchdowns. And don’t think it came in blowout wins, because in Beech’s five-game run through the state playoffs, he rushed for 1,384 of those yards and 17 touchdowns. He is highly regarded, with 247Sports.com rating him a 5-star prospect, with others having him at the 4-star level.

It has been a busy couple of days for the Vols, who opened up their commitment spree by adding center Coleman Thomas, a Virginia native, over the weekend. Kelly joined the class Sunday night, while Maryland native Neiko Creamer, a 6-foot-4 wide receiver, came aboard Monday. Wharton chose Tennessee on Christmas Day last year.